April Thomas, 206-321-3850, april.thomas@sierraclub.org
Washington, DC -- The Department of the Interior has withdrawn plans to massively increase fees for visitors to U.S. national parks, instead proposing modest increases. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke had previously proposed to increase fees to as much as $70 at many popular national parks. Polling by the Outdoors Alliance for Kids found that the proposed hikes were highly unpopular and would prevent many families from visiting.
In response, Sierra Club Outdoors Director Jackie Ostfeld issued the following statement:
"This is a victory for kids and families everywhere. Resistance matters. Hundreds of thousands of people spoke out against Sec. Zinke's outrageous plan to more than double entry fees at parks across the country. Nobody should be priced out of our parks. Programs like Every Kid in a Park, which provide free park passes for 4th graders and their families, are an essential part of making the outdoors accessible for all. We hope this is the end of misguided efforts to raise fees for our national parks."
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.